Well spill puts hundreds of gallons of oil in river

WAYNESBORO — Authorities are cleaning up hundreds of gallons of oil that spilled from a well in Wayne County and leaked into the Chickasawhay River.

The Clarion-Ledger reports that 945 to 2,362 gallons of oil spilled from a well owned by Logan Oil. The company notified Wayne County officials of the spill on Thursday.

Allen Floyd, field director for the Mississippi Oil and Gas Board, said the spill’s environmental effects were expected to be “minimal.”

“The spill has been contained and the cleanup is under way,” Floyd said.

Joseph Dunlap, of the Wayne County Emergency Management Agency, said oil had flowed roughly four miles down the river, which is located about one mile from the oil field. Workers were using boom and vacuum trucks to contain the spill and remove oil-stained soil from the area.

Officials estimated the cleanup efforts could last several days.

Dunlap said the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality would lead the investigation of what caused the spill.